Save Him
by Bea Scribens
Summary: A story from Astrid's POV towards the end of HTTYD: The Hidden World, set during the Armada Battle/Hiccup's sacrifice.


Everything was on fire.

And Astrid was loving it.

She grabbed hold of the wheel and yanked it violently to the left, letting it spin a few times before thwacking her axe into the wooden floor, jamming the helm in place. The trapper ship lurched sideways, careening straight for the nearest vessel.

A few seconds later and the two ships collided, smashing into each other with such considerable force that both wooden hulls exploded into splinters.

This armada was going nowhere except the bottom of the gods damned ocean.

As the remaining dragons broke free of their cages, it wasn't just adrenaline that pounded through her. She punched a fist in the air, yelling out in a wordless cry of fierce joy as she watched the dragons take to the sky. The handful of Berkians around her did the same, feeling that same rush of pride and purpose, that same determination to protect their own at whatever cost.

Astrid whirled around to survey the unfolding carnage; fire was raining down all around her, the dragons now well and truly entering the fray themselves. There wasn't a ship in sight that wasn't burning.

With a final, merciless grin, she signalled for Stormfly, and with practiced precision the Deadly Nadder swooped down to grab her. Within moments Astrid was perched on her back and soaring up above the battle. She quickly scanned the sky, mentally noting that the rest of the gang were out, along with Valka, Gobber and Eret, who were taking off from the deck of a ship nearby. The only people not airborne now were the remaining trappers, most of whom were jumping overboard. The warlords were still in cages, left to either burn or drown. She didn't care.

It wasn't them she was looking for, or worried about.

She hadn't seen Hiccup since he'd managed to free Toothless. She'd seen them jet out of the water, and that was it.

With an icy jolt, she realized she hadn't seen Grimmel or the death grippers since then either.

_Oh Gods._

A sudden crack of lightning flashed amongst the mountainous cliffs on the far side of New Berk. It could only be one thing.

_Hiccup._

"C'mon Stormfly, go, _go_!"

With a burst of speed her dragon obliged, soaring up towards the snow-capped peaks of the isle.

Astrid spotted the motionless bodies of two, maybe three death-grippers impaled on the slopes as they zipped through the mountain range. She was vaguely aware of cheering from far below them as they sped past the rest of the Berkian tribe, but every part of her brain was focused on a fast approaching line of trees. All the battle-fuelled glee from minutes before had evaporated completely, replaced with nothing but steely determination to get to Hiccup.

_Please be okay._

Each pound of Astrid's racing heartbeat brought them closer to the forest-covered cape, closer, closer, closer-

With one final burst of energy, Stormfly shot through the trees-tops, going straight through them in a blast of twigs and leaves rather than wasting time going around. They shot into open space, a gaping hole of air that stretched far into the horizon.

In the first instant, Astrid registered only two things: that something in the distance was falling. And it was falling fast.

In the second, she realized that something was Hiccup.

In the third, her heart stopped. _Everything _stopped.

She was too far away to catch him.

"NO!"

Without thinking she spurred Stormfly into a death dive towards Hiccup and – some part of her brain managed to notice – Grimmel, who was tearing Hiccup's wingsuit to shreds. Destroying the one thing that might have saved them both.

Astrid was barrelling towards them so fast the whole world blurred into nothing. There was only Hiccup still falling, falling falling-

A memory flashed through the panic. That stupid, dorky little smile of his when she'd plucked up the courage to say 'I love you' for the first time.

She'd never see him smile again.

Astrid screamed "HICCUP!" the same moment an ear-splitting screech pierced the air.

She was going too fast to see anything other than a flash of white shoot across the sky.

A body smashed into the waves.

The blur of white swooped upwards.

Stormfly's wings released like a parachute, slowing them both so rapidly that Astrid had to grab her dragon's neck with all her strength just to stay on.

And all at once the world regained form, enough for Astrid to see the Light Fury soaring skyward…with a one-legged idiot grasped tightly in her claws.

Relief flooded through Astrid with such force that tears pricked in her eyes. She sagged into Stormfly's shoulder blades, which rose and fell comfortingly with the steady beat of her wings.

_He's alive, he's alive, he's alive. _

She watched from afar as the Light Fury gently set Hiccup down on a grassy headland. He immediately started hopping towards a large black mass sprawled on the grass – Toothless. Her heart sank again, but only for a moment. For, as far away as she still was, she could see the dragon starting to stir.

"C'mon girl." Astrid murmured into Stormfly's neck, patting her gently. Without having to be prompted further, the Deadly Nadder shot forward, flying towards the peninsula.

The second she was close enough, Astrid leapt off Stormfly's back and ran the last few steps towards Hiccup and the Furies. Hiccup was wobbling his way upright, leaving the mated pair to reunite.

He'd obviously seen her coming from out the corner of his eye, for as she reached him he was already extending an arm; she ducked under it, pulling Hiccup's torso against hers to balance him.

She glanced once at his face, to reassure herself he was okay. But his eyes were fixed on his best friend. Where sorrow had been etched on his features earlier, there was now an expression of…acceptance. Sadness still lingered there, but there was hope, too.

They watched for a moment as Toothless and the Light Fury nuzzled against each other. She knew what was coming, and how hard it was going to be. But right now, all Astrid could think about was the gentle weight of Hiccup's arm around her shoulder, the warmth of his body at her side, the feel of his fingers intertwined with hers.

And how close she'd been to losing him.

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. In response, and without a word, Hiccup pulled her hand over to place it on his chest, and held it there. Astrid could feel his heartbeat; only just, through all the leather and dragon scales, but there. Very much there.

Astrid saw Hiccup turn to look at her in her peripheral vision, and she lifted her head to meet his gaze. The warmth and tenderness she found in his wide, green eyes made her heart stutter a little. He brushed the top of her hand with his thumb and quirked his eye brows once, with a soft smile and a nod as if to say _I'm ready. _

Ready to let go.

Ready to lead.

Ready to share a life, a home, a family.

Astrid felt a smile blossom on her own face, and she nodded back. _Me too._

Hiccup held her close, touching his forehead to hers.

No matter what came next, they had each other.

And that was enough.


End file.
